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If you’re ever going to splurge on a hot-air balloon ride, Cappadocia is definitely one of the best places in the world to do it. Dangling at dawn above this primitive lunar landscape, I imagine some massive prehistoric creature clawing its way across the Turkish countryside, leaving carved valleys, fanciful rock formations and towering stone outcroppings in its ragged path.

In fact, Cappadocia’s stunning scenery was created about 30 million years ago, when massive volcanic eruptions left Central Turkey flowing in lava and buried in ash (known locally as tufa).

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“The lava and erosion left behind a labyrinth of valleys and cut through the softer tufa, creating these isolated stone pinnacles topped by caps of harder rock,” says guide Mehmet Idil of the famed “fairy chimneys” that locals once believed to be inhabited by fairies. “We call this Love Valley,” jokes Idil, as we hike past the giant phallic-shaped stone spires capped with rounded rocks in Göreme National Park.

Human hands shaped similarly incredible works in the soft tufa stone, carving cave houses, rock-cut temples, colourful dovecotes and sprawling underground cities in this rugged region where traces of human settlement are said to date back to 6500 BC.

While many of Cappadocia’s restored cave dwellings are now trendy hotels and themed restaurants, others are protected sites bringing a fascinating history to life.

“Some 3,000 people lived at Kaymakli, spending months at a time down here,” our guide says of the World Heritage Underground City, used as a refuge during recurring threats by invading armies. Sections of these rock-cut cities are carved eight or nine levels deep, housing thousands of rooms used as living quarters, granaries, stables, wine cellars, shrines, all clustered around the ventilation shafts and wells to make life liveable underground.

The intricate labyrinth of tunnels extending several kilometres in different directions connected these secret cities with the corresponding towns above, making for a quick and easy escape.

“There are so many connecting tunnels that kids playing, or tourists exploring the underground passageways would pop up into people’s homes, so eventually we had to block some of those tunnels,” says our guide of Kaymakli Underground City, opened to visitors in 1964 with four of the original eight floors open so far.

“The tunnels were built low and narrow so armed invaders couldn’t get through them in their armour or have enough room to draw their swords,” we’re told, squeezing our way along another claustrophobic passage. Massive round stone slabs strategically placed in special cavities in the wall could also be rolled in place to block the tunnels as a second line of defence.

Another of Cappadocia’s captivating World Heritage sites is Göreme Open Air Museum – a rock-cut cluster of more than 30 cave-churches and chapels, carved by medieval Christian monks and decorated with elaborate Byzantine frescoes between the 9th and 11th century.

“Christianity flourished here during the Roman and Byzantine period, but this rich history was all but forgotten until a French priest rediscovered the rock-hewn churches in 1907,” explains Idil, leading us along the cobbled path past the now-preserved and protected thousand-year-old sanctuaries.

“Finding these lost monastic treasures helped put Cappadocia back on the map,” says our guide of the recent tourist boom in central Turkey.

In fact, until the 1970s folks here made their living from farming and not from today’s tourism. The picturesque centuries-old dovecotes carved into cliffs and fairy chimneys were built to house pigeons so their droppings could be used as fertilizer, and are now popular tour bus stops for taking pictures and buying souvenirs.

The popular Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik) is a perfect photo op and shop for the tour crowd, but if you get a chance, escape into the dovecoted-valley and surround yourself with fascinating rock formations and the hundreds of pigeon houses carved into the cliffs and fairy-chimneys standing sentinel along the four-kilometre hiking trail between Göreme and Uçhisar.

Using craggy Uçhisar Castle as a landmark, end your walk on this towering volcanic-rock outcrop for spectacular sunset views over Pigeon and Rose Valley. The bus crowds will catch up with you there!

Rocky citadels doubling as tourist attraction castles (kalelar) are just another resourceful case of clever Cappadocians leaving “no stone unturned” when it comes to living here amongst the tufa.

The local police station is housed in one of the fairy chimney stone spires in Valley of the Monks.

Enjoy a Cappadocia cave lunch at Natureland, a little family-run restaurant where you can take a tour of the family’s “summer cottage” cave home while they prepare a tasty Testi (jug) kebab lunch.

Our Hotel Cave Deluxe is a cozy 36-room guesthouse carved into the cliffs at the foot of Ortahisar Castle, the local 18-metre-high rock kalelar landmark used as a fortress in Byzantine times (but closed for repairs while we’re there).

Strolling the cobble-streets of this farming village, I meet craggy-faced farmers who use Ortahisar’s underground caves to store their lemon crops at a natural 17C during the frigid snowy winter months, and ready for sale in the spring.

It’s also here in quiet, quaint Ortahisar I happen upon local celebrity and village poet ‘Crazy Ali’. Over a glass of Turkish tea, the antique shop owner entertains me with stories of his life and how a Canadian woman he once loved ended up breaking his heart. Best of all, were his dramatic readings of several of his own poems, many about life in Cappadocia.

So with permission from ‘Crazy Ali’, a verse from one of his poems:

Do you know what Hittites, Byzantines and Turks

Made here in the cradle of civilization?

With torches in flames

With the shared laments, destinies and joys

It was a great mosaic, do you know?

Come, come, come

To the wonderland of Cappadocia!

Janie Robinson is a Midland-based freelance writer and videographer whose trip was subsidized by Air Transat and Transat Holidays.

JUST THE FACTS

ARRIVINGAir Transat has a weekly flight from Toronto to Istanbul on Sundays until October 14, 2102 www.airtransat.ca. Cappadocia is 730 km north-east of Istanbul in central Anatolia, with domestic flights to either Kayseri and Nevsehir airport and a further hour or two by land to get to most Cappadocia accommodations. Find details on Transat Holidays new Glimpse of Turkey & Antalya coach tour & beach stay, which includes a two night stay in Cappadocia, starting at $1,999 for 14 nights at http://varvacations.com/en/promotions/documents/vat-turkey-coach-tour-25mai12.pdf.

DINING Natureland Restaurant’s lovely garden lunch in the shade is located across the road from World Heritage Göreme Open Air Museum. The Old Greek House is a charming family-run restaurant and hotel in the village of Mustafapasa where mom still grows the herbs, rolls the dolmas and makes the jams. www.oldgreekhouse.com. The dinner-show at Uranos Sarikaya Cave Restaurant is a popular tour bus stop. www.uranossarikaya.com

TOURING Hiking and horse-riding tours are popular throughout Göreme National Park, including full-day guided hikes in the Rose, Sun, Red or Pigeon Valleys. There are lots of hot-air balloon tour companies to choose from including our lofty dawn ride with Göreme Balloons costing $200 per person. www.goremeballoons.com

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